When Judaism emerges it sends shockwaves around the ancient world because Judaism in a monotheistic religion in a polytheistic world. This immediately sets Judaism apart in the unique sense that there is only one God. The significance of Judaism does not lie in its number of followers, rather, Judaism is incredibly important because of how it shaped the world and how Christianity and Islam (two of the largest religions in the modern world) can trace their roots to Judaism. This is not, however, to insinuate that Judaism, or religion in general, is static. The Jewish religion is intricate and is constantly changing not only in the fabric of the belief system, but also in the very idea of what it is to be a Jew. These constantly changing components
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The 19th century brings about a lot of change and the Jewish people are confronted with what they are going to do with this new age. Some practitioners want to modernize their practices and regenerate public worship while others insist that they should continue to strictly observe Jewish traditions (lecture; Judaism and Modernity). Reformed Judaism brings about some fantastic advancements for women. Men and women can now sit together at service which is a huge step towards the rise of the social status of women. Though, there is still a long way to go before a woman has an equal role in Judaism, but this is at least a start. Reformed Judaism is also less strict about dietary laws and leaves them up to the individual practitioner. The synagogue services no longer have to be in Hebrew which is convenient because Hebrew isn’t the easiest language to master. Reformed Jews also give themselves the freedom to be critical about the written texts. This is not to say that reformed Jews in any way denounce the written teachings, rather, it means that reformed Jews allow themselves to interpret these teachings (lecture; Judaism and Modernity). On the other side of the coin, Orthodox Jews believe in strict observance of Jewish tradition. However, it should be said that Orthodox Jews do not reject modernity, they actually believe in finding a balance between the modern age and Jewish
The 19th century brings about a lot of change and the Jewish people are confronted with what they are going to do with this new age. Some practitioners want to modernize their practices and regenerate public worship while others insist that they should continue to strictly observe Jewish traditions (lecture; Judaism and Modernity). Reformed Judaism brings about some fantastic advancements for women. Men and women can now sit together at service which is a huge step towards the rise of the social status of women. Though, there is still a long way to go before a woman has an equal role in Judaism, but this is at least a start. Reformed Judaism is also less strict about dietary laws and leaves them up to the individual practitioner. The synagogue services no longer have to be in Hebrew which is convenient because Hebrew isn’t the easiest language to master. Reformed Jews also give themselves the freedom to be critical about the written texts. This is not to say that reformed Jews in any way denounce the written teachings, rather, it means that reformed Jews allow themselves to interpret these teachings (lecture; Judaism and Modernity). On the other side of the coin, Orthodox Jews believe in strict observance of Jewish tradition. However, it should be said that Orthodox Jews do not reject modernity, they actually believe in finding a balance between the modern age and Jewish